Babar Azam’s maiden Test century on Sunday, 25 November, against New Zealand in the second Test took him past Virat Kohli in an elite list in Test cricket. With five fifty-plus knocks in his last 10 Test innings, Babar Azam now averages 67.71 in Tests in 2018, having amassed 474 runs in 10 innings.
Meanwhile, Kohli's average stands at 59.05, which he managed to achieve with his run tally of 1,063 in 18 innings.
Babar figure stands atop in Test cricket in 2018 for minimum 400 runs.
Babar averages only 30 in the longer format, courtesy a non-eventful Test career, that spans only two years. After an equally boring 2018, Babar finally found his groove in his last three Tests where he managed scores of 92, 62, 13. This elusive century came as a big relief for the 24-year-old.
The hundred helped Pakistan reach 418 for five before declaring after a first-day batting collapse. Pakistan started the day at 207 for four with Harris Sohail and Babar at crease. They continued with their slow innings.
Harris scored 147 runs, while Babar hogged the limelight as he was stranded in his nineties for 98 deliveries before completing his century.
Previously, Babar, who is a bigger name in the limited-over format, was dismissed on 99 against Australia in the second Test in Abu Dhabi.
"There was no pressure [of scoring a Test hundred]", Babar told ICC.
"I'd be lying if I say that not scoring a Test century was a burden on me. The difference is that I did the job today. My previous best scores will be counted as half-centuries. I had heard that scoring a Test century is special and that's exactly what I experienced today. I was out on 99 against Australia. It's definitely a relief to get over the line. I have gained a lot of confidence in the wake of scoring this hundred."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)